If you want to learn more about podcasting and how to do it successfully then you might be tempted to take part in an online course.
There are lots of online courses about podcasts, but some of them are a lot better than others.
You need to make sure that the course you choose has relevant content in an interesting format to keep you engaged and help you to learn.
We have reviewed the ‘Professional Podcast Production, Editing & Blueprint’ online course that is available on udemy.com. Keep reading to find out whether this course is for you.
About The Course
‘Professional Podcast Production, Editing & Blueprint’ is an online course on udemy.com.
You can purchase the course for a one off price, or sign up to udemy to gain access to their top courses. This is one of the best selling courses and it has an overall user rating of over 4 stars.
This course is designed to teach you how to set up your recording equipment for your podcast and then get to grips with recording good audio and then editing and mastering it.
It will also show you how to get your podcast on ITunes, and how to build a website on WordPress to accompany your podcast. Upon completion of the course you will get an online certificate.
About The Creator
This course was created by Ian Robinson, owner of Freedom Podcasting Company. The company helps their clients to create their own podcasts including producing and publishing.
All the client needs to do is record their content and Freedom Podcasting does everything else.
Ian Robinson has a lot of experience working on podcasts and making sure that they are of a professional quality.
Ian is also a software engineer and has a good understanding of educational platforms. This makes him an ideal online course creator.
What To Expect From The Course
Here is a breakdown of what you can expect if you purchase this course.
Course Overview
This course is split into 7 sections and has a total of 33 lectures. Each section ends with a quiz to test you on the information covered in that section.
The total teaching time is 4 hours and 20 minutes. Alongside the video lectures, there are also various articles and resources that you will have access to in order to assist with your learning.
Course Structure
The first two lectures are very short and introduce the course and its creator. You then move on to 5 lectures on how to record audio, which comes to a total of 37 minutes.
This includes information on how to set up your recording equipment, how to use Audacity software, how to do skype interviews with guests, and guidance on how to get started.
The next section is on Audio Engineering and is made up of 13 lectures and a total of just over 2 hours of teaching time.
It will take you through the process of leveling your audio, sourcing additional audio files that you might need and polishing your audio.
You will then learn how to mix your audio with Garageband and with Audacity software, giving you two different options.
The next section is all about podcast distribution. There are 5 lectures for a total of 39 minutes of teaching time.
It will explain how to build a website using WordPress, how to prepare your blog for the launch of your podcast, how to set up the site to prepare for uploading the podcast, how to upload the podcast to your site, and how to upload the podcast to ITunes.
Then the course moves on to a strategy section with 5 lectures that will take around 18 minutes. It tells you about podcast statistics and how the rankings work.
This section also promotes the Creator’s business (Freedom Podcast Company) which doesn’t seem helpful to the course but you still have to watch the lecture in order to complete the course.
The next section is two lectures on how to use photoshop to create podcast art. It’s about 34 minutes long.
The final section is a lecture answering any questions from the students. This will change depending on what questions have been asked.
There is also a student area where you can post questions at any time and the creator will get back to you.
This is great for people who need a bit more support or need help with a specific part of the course.
Tone & Pace
The course has quite a light and friendly tone. There are some humorous parts of the scripts and some funny video inserts to lighten the mood and make it less dry.
Even the technical knowledge is explained in a way that is easy to understand.
The pace is a mixture of long and short lectures, which keeps it interesting. It can make it a little tricky to take consistent notes, but you can watch the videos as many times as you need to.
What Do We Think?
Now you have some more information on what the course is about and how it is structured, what did we actually think of the course? Here are the pros and cons of this online course.
Pros
- Straightforward – The format and delivery of this course make it very easy to understand. The subject matter is clearly explained in a way that is easy to follow.
- Entertaining – The hose injects some humor into the course which makes the delivery more interesting.
- Rhythm – The course has a good rhythm and pace which makes it easy to follow and progress through. The structure makes sense and is well thought out.
- Useful – A lot of the information provided in this course is very practical and useful, like how to use equipment and different types of software. There is a mixture of general information and specific, technical information.
- Results – This course has proven results. A lot of previous students have gone on to create their own podcasts and publish them on ITunes.
- Beginners – This course is suitable for beginners and is great for people who don’t have any experience with podcasting. Even if you have experience already, you will probably learn something that you didn’t know before.
- Value for money – This course offers you a lot of information for your money. You can also go back and watch the videos again, so you can keep it as a handy guide for future use as you progress through your podcasting journey.
- Support – The creator is very good at answering questions in the student area, so you can still get the support you need even though this is an online course
- Experience – The teacher uses experience and reason to explain why certain things are important, giving the students context and a deeper understanding.
Cons
- Subjective – The course is based on one person’s experience of podcasting based on the format of their business. It is not an objective view or a collection of experiences from different areas of podcasting.
- Dated – Some of the content is not up to date. The course does get updated periodically, but if you purchase it innbetween updates then you might not be learning the most relevant content. This is especially true for some of the software guides, as newer versions of GarageBand have been released and some new Macbooks are not compatible with Audacity software.
- Mac/ITunes – This course is geared more towards Macbook users and people who want to upload their podcast onto ITunes. It doesn’t have as much use for people who don’t use Macbooks, or people who want to upload their podcasts onto Spotify or other platforms.
- Basic – This course is ideal for beginners, but some of the information about mixing audio is very basic. There is not a lot of detail about equalization, voice effects, and other aspects of recording and mastering audio.
Should You Purchase This Course?
So, should you purchase this online course? Is it going to be right for you?
If you have a Macbook and you are keen to get your podcast on ITunes, then this is probably an excellent choice for you.
It is also perfect if you have little to no experience with podcasting and audio equipment and you want to know the basics.
If you already have some experience with podcasting but you want to refresh your memory or fill in the gaps, you might also find this course helpful.
It is not expensive, so even if some of the information is already known to you it could still be worth the money.
If you are experienced with podcasting but want more in depth information about audio equipment and sound production etc, then this is not the best online course for you to buy.
You will need a course that is aimed at more advanced users.
Summary
There are lots of really great things about this online course, but it is not the right option for everyone.
Make sure that you consider your learning needs before you go ahead and purchase it.
